On January 26, 2016, debt held by the public was $13.62 trillion or about 75% of the previous 12 months of GDP. Intragovernmental holdings stood at $5.34 trillion, giving a combined total gross national debt of $18.96 trillion or about 104% of the previous 12 months of GDP.
Launched in 1934 to help boost the housing market, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan is still pretty much the same today. Itâs a government-backed loan that allows people to buy a moderately priced home with a down payment as low as 3.5 percent. The partnership between the FHA and HUD has helped many people since its inception, insuring over 34 million home mortgages and 47,205 multifamily project mortgages.
An FHA mortgage is a government-backed home loan with more flexible lending requirements than those for conventional loans. Because of this, interest rates for FHA mortgages may be somewhat higher, and the buyer may need to pay monthly mortgage insurance premiums along with their monthly loan payments. An FHA loan is available with fixed rates or as an adjustable-rate mortgage. FHA loans are insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and may have an easier qualification process due to less stringent down-payment and credit requirements than conventional mortgages.